Due to the fact that taking your car to a local service for a repair is starting to cost more and more, a lot of drivers are deciding to take the matters into their own hands. There is a whole bunch of YouTube videos and articles online on how to do some of these things. In some cases, this is a pretty good solution – you get to know your car better and you save some money.
However, this really isn’t always the case. There is a great number of repairs that you should never do on your own. While it may be simple for you to install winter tires, change a spark plug, or even replace the car battery, the fact is that some repairs need to be done by an expert that knows what they are doing, because you will most probably end up making things even worse and spend more money than you’ve intended to. Of course, there are also safety reasons for choosing this option.
Timing belt replacement
When you drive your vehicle for some time, sooner or later, the day will come when the timing belt will have to be replaced. A lot of people try to do this on their own, but this is one of those times when you should definitely take your car to the mechanic and have an expert do it.
There is, basically two reasons for this. First off, in order to replace it, you will have to take apart about half of your car’s engine. So, even if you replace the belt properly, messing up the engine is a great probability. Second, the timing belt is a crucial part of your engine, one that keeps it working, so it should never be taken lightly.
Transmission repairs
Just one good look inside the housing of your vehicle’s transmission is pretty much enough to make you understand what we are talking about here. What you’ll find is a labyrinth constructed out of rods, gears, tensioners, and bearings. And once you are done with fixing whatever needs to be fixed, you are going to have to put all those parts exactly where they were before you opted for the DIY way.
Moving the sensors is an issue because they are heavy and you can end up hurting yourself. Even if your car has an automatic gearbox on four cylinders which isn’t all that big, weighs enough to be a problem. So, better get help when your transmission becomes an issue, if you don’t want to make things even worse.
Windshield replacement
Ask almost any driver out there, and you’ll find out how much they really don’t want to get into the whole windshield replacement business on their own. Just think about the fact that each piece costs about $200 to $300. There is the option of using an old one from another. But, when you take into consideration how much you are going to spend on fresh clips, adhesive, and window trim, you are going to realize that the price that you would pay at the local shop no longer sounds so big.
Of course, when you do take your car to a local repair shop, you will have experts install a new windshield properly so that there are no parts that can cause leaking and make a big mess out of the inside of your car.
Airbag replacement
An airbag that has been activated during an unfortunate event is a hell of a tough thing to replace. There is a pretty good reason why anyone in the business of vehicle insurance would rather total the car that used its airbag. Basically, it costs a lot of money, and is also a process that takes a lot of work. Just think about the fact that, next to unplugging the used one, removing it, and then setting up a new one, you also have to replace the whole surface that covers it.
Another big and pretty serious problem is that even if you get all of this done by yourself, you have no way to find out whether the new airbag is going to work properly. So, if you have already gone through a scenario where your airbag was deployed, and you want to get your car repaired, your best course of action is to go straight to the local repair shop and have a professional do the job for you.
In summation
Repairing your car DIY style can be a really good option when your job isn’t all that difficult and costly. This will help you learn more about your car and how to deal with certain problems in various kinds of situations.
However, there are car repairs that you simply should never do on your own, as the chances of you doing it wrong are very high, and it is also going to cost you a lot of money. This is when it is a much better idea to leave it to the experts.
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